Infant&#39;s garment



Sept. 5, 1950 H. H. sEGERMAN 2,521,609

INFANT'S GARMENT Filed Dec. 31, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEY Sept. 5, 1950 H. H. SEGERMAN S GARMENT INFANT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed D60. 51, 1946 INVENTOR Patented Sept. 5, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to infants garments and, more particularly, is concerned with infants garments, such for example as buntings, characterizecl by enveloping body coverings which are provided with neck openings.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a garment of the character described which is so constructed that an infant can be inserted therein and removed therefrom with greater ease and with less handling and turning of the infant than is presently the case with similar garments having only a conventional vertical closure.

It is another object of the invention to provide a garment of the character described which can be opened in the region of the neck and shoulders without exposing the chest so that an infant carried about in the garment and held for a time in a Warm place can be made comfortable without endangering its health.

More specifically it is an object of the invention to provide a garment of the character described in which the aforesaid opening can be effected readily, easily and quickly.

Even more specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide a garment of the character described in which the portions of the garment normally covering one or both shoulders of an infant comprise flaps or the like which form parts of the normal neck opening when held down against the garment, so that if the naps are opened such action automatically will enlarge the opening at the top of the garment.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter be pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangements of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which are shown various possible embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of an infants bunting constructed in accordance with the invention;

Figs. 2 and 3 are rear and bottom views, respectively, of said bunting;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but slightly larger and showing the bunting open preparatory to insertion of an infant;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Figs. 1 and 4, respectively, of a modified form of the invention; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are views likewise similar to Figs. 1 and 4, but of another modified form of the invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, HJ denotes a bunting embodying the invention. :Said bunting basically is in the form of a fabric bag comprising a rear wall I2, a bottom wall I4 and a front wall which includes a right-hand section I6 and a left-hand section I6. The adjacent edges of the two front sections I6, I8 are permanently secured to each other as by stitching 26 for a short distance near the bottom of the bunting and are detachably secured to each other in any suitable fashion, as by means of a pair of mating slide fastener stringers '22, over substann tially the remainder of their matching lengths. An ornamental binding 24 is fastened to the edge of one of the sections to conceal the detachable closing means.

A flap 26, preferably of the same material as the remainder of the bunting, is integrally connected to and extends from the top edge of the rear wall I2 at one side of the center thereof, said ap optionally being secured to said top edge along a seam 28. Said seam extends transversely of the garment and desirably is located in the vicinity of one of the shoulders of the garment. The fiap 26 can be swung or folded about the seam 28 from the open position shown in Fig. 4 to the closed position shown in Fig. l. The edge 30 of the flap in closed position overlaps the upper edge of the front wall and is detachably secured thereto by any suitable means, e. g. a plurality of buttons 32 fastened to the bunting and adapted to engage buttonholes 34 in the flap adjacent the edge 30. When the flap is in closed position, the edge 38 thereof opposed to the edge 30 defines the front edge of a normal neck opening 40 whose back edge is formed by the central portion 42 of the top edge of the rear Wall I2. Said neck opening may be of any conventional shape and is herein illustrated as oval, so that the edges 38, 42 are curved. The upper edge of the front wall is disposed below said neck opening and at least one end of the wall extends laterally beyond the corresponding end of the neck opening whereby the neck opening automatically will be enlarged when the iiap is swungr to open position.

If desired, a pair of ribbons 44, 46 may be provided on the free ends of the two edges 38, 42 to detachably secure the free end of the edge 38 to the corresponding end of the edge 42 when the flap is closed, said ribbons optionally being tied together in the `form of a bow 48 as shown in Fig. 1.

It is pointed out that, pursuant to the invention, it is only necessary for the flap 26, when closed, to extend from its point of foldable connection to the garment (as at the seam 28) to a portion of the garment which runs into the neck opening at the side thereof opposite to that to which the flap is connected. In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 4, this would be accomplished by stopping the flap at the free edge of the left hand front section i8 where this edge extends above the slide fastener stringer 22. However, to improve the appearance of the garment, the ap 26 is made long enough to extend all the way across to the opposite shoulder and terminates along a line symmetrically disposed with respect to the seam 28. If it is desired to save material, or for any other reason, the lefthand section I8 may be shortened so that its upper edge terminates at about the same level as the upper edge of the right hand section I6.

Instead of a single flap foldably connected to the garment in such manner that it can swing about a line which extends transversely ofthe garment and intersects an edge of the neck opening, two flaps may be employed, one on either side of the garment, e. g. above both shoulders instead of one. Such a construction is illustrated in Figs. and 6. The hunting 50 shown in said gures consists of a back wall 52, and a front wall which includes a right-hand section 56|- and a left-hand section 56, the vertical free edges whereof vare detachably secured to one another by a pair of slide fastener stringers 58.' If desired, the' lower part of the garment (not shown) may be closed by a bottom wall. Also, the garment may include conventional sleeves 6U.

The rear wall 52 has a pair of integral extensions or aps 62, G so located, that when the flaps are folded or swung down about the shoulders of the garment to the closed position shown in Fig. 5, they are disposed at the front of they hunting and extend below and to both sides of the neck opening 66 thereof. The inside edges 83,

'I0 of the iiaps 62, 64 when closed define the front edge of theneck opening. Said flaps are provided with buttonholes 'i2 adapted to engage buttons 14 to hold the flaps closed. The central portion of the upper edge of the rear wall 52 defines the back edge 76 of the neck opening. The front sections 54, 53 terminate in upper edges 1S, 89 which lie along a line beneath and longer than the front edge of the neck openingso that when the'aps 62, @Il are opened the normal neck opening will, in eifect, besuhstantially enlarged. A

ribbon 82 stitched around the edges of the neck.

opening for purposes of enhancing the appearance of the garment may have its ends 8d, 86 extend beyond the edges of the neck opening in order that the same can be tied together in a bow 88 when the flaps are closed thereby to attach to one another the free ends of the edges E3, 76.

In Figs. '7 andS there is shown a hunting 90 embodying another modified form of the invention. This hunting includes a rear wall 92, and a front wall including a right hand section 94 and left hand section 95 whose free edges aredetachahly secured together by slide fastener stringere 98, The rear wall has a pair of integral naps |58, $2 formed thereon in such manner that the same may he folded about the shoulder zones 04, |055 to overlie the front wall sections. In this latter position said iiaps are detachably secured to the front sections by buttons |08 and buttonholes lil.

The hunting 93 differentiates from the hunting.

50 in that the zones about which its flaps are fold able run all the way from the neck opening to the sides of the hunting instead of terminating short of said sides as do the folding zones in the hunting 50. This permits the hunting to be constructed with the upper edges of the front sections 94, 96 extending all the way across the front of the bunting as best seen in Fig. 8 so that when the flaps are opened maximum ease of access is afforded to the inside of the hunting. When closed the flaps define a neck opening ||2 whose hack edge ||4 comprises the center portion of the rear wall 92. The front edge of the neck opening includes the two inner edges H6, ||8 of the flaps |00, |02. Optionally a hood |20 may be secured to the bunting, said hood being stitched along the edges |4, IIE, ||8 of the neck opening ||2.

The buntings l0, 5U, 90 are all employed in the same way, to wit: a hunting is laid down on an appropriate surface, e. g. a bed, and the iiaps disengaged from the front of the hunting and swung back t0 open position. This will expose the large opening of the mouth of the bag by transversely enlarging the normal small neck opening. The vertical `front closure also is opened. The hunting in this state is vopen so fully that an infant can be placed and properly arranged therein without turning or twisting it. The front closurenow is reclosed, the flap or flaps is brought hack to overlie the front wall of the hunting and the same are attached-to said front wall. To remove an infant, it merely is necessary to unbutton the iiaps and raise them to open position. The infant then may be withdrawn through the enlarged neck opening without having to open the front closure although, of course,

. this too may he opened if desired. The flaps also can he opened if the infant is in a warm room or the like.

It will thus he seen that there are provided infants garments which achieve the several ohjects of the invention and are well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and as various changes might he made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein described is to he interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention there is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent:

"3 an upper edge including a portion which extends in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the bag toward the center of the bag from a starting point at the shoulder portion of the bag, said upper edge portion being located slightly below the neck opening and extending laterally beyond G0 a side of the neck opening; the rear wall having a flap at its upper edge swingable about a line extending only from the neck opening to said starting point, said flap being swingable about said line to a closed position in which it overlies 2. An infants bunting comprising a bag with a front wall, a rear wall7 and a closed bottom; said bunting having a neck opening and being elongated in a direction from its neck opening to its closed bottom; the front wall of the bag having an upper edge including a portion which extends in a direction normal to the longitudinal axis of the bag toward the center of the bag from a starting point at the shoulder portion of the bag, said upper edge portion being located slightly below the neck opening and extending laterally beyond a side of the neck opening; the rear wall having a ilap at its upper edge swingable about a line extending only from the neck opening to said starting point, said flap being swingable about said line to a closed position in which it overlies an upper portion of the front wall, means to detachably secure said flap to said front wall in such closed position, the back edge of the neck opening including a portion of the upper edge of the rear wall, and the front edge of the neck opening including an edge of the ilap whereby, when the flap is detached from the front wall of the garment and is swung away from the closed position, the neck opening will be substantially enlarged laterally of the garment, but only slightly enlarged vertically of the garment; and means for detachably holding the ap in closed position at the edge thereof constituting a portion of the neck opening, said last named means comprising a pair of ties one of which is carried by the flap at its free end on the edge of the neck opening and the other of which is carried by said bunting on a part of the edge of the neck opening which part is free of said flap and is opposite from and adjacent the free end of the ap when the latter is in closed position.

3. An infants bunting as set forth in claim 2 wherein an additional ilap is provided, the two flaps being on different sides of the garment.

4. An infants bunting as set forth in claim 2 wherein the starting point of the upper edge of the front wall is located inwardly of the sides of the garment.

5. An infants bunting as set forth in claim 2 wherein the starting point of the upper edge of the front wall is located inwardly of the sides of the garment and wherein an additional flap is provided, the two naps being on different sides of the garment.

6. An infants bunting as set forth in claim 2 wherein the starting point of the upper edge of the front wall is located at a side of the garment.

'7, An infants bunting as set forth in claim 2 wherein the starting point of the upper edge of the front wall is located at a side of the garment and wherein an additional flap is provided, the two flaps being on different sides of the garment.

HERBERT HOWARD SEGERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 302,901 Fenne Aug. 5, 1884 569,521 Scatchard Oct. 13, 1896 '782,819 Bikle Feb. 21, 1905 965,921 Mercey Aug. 2, 1910 1,940,224 Munro Dec. 19, 1933 2,227,751 Idelman Jan. '7, 1941 2,241,694 Astrove May 13, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,394 Great Britain Jan. 28, 1915 368,171 Italy Feb. 10, 1939 

